Cristina Marleau's subsequent comments raised eyebrows and posed many questions. One particularly alarming claim she made was:
"My husband had heard that during the Covid pause on the season, father [Kane] had invited a teammate and his girlfriend over to their home.
The information we had heard was that both father and the teammate had taken some sort of substance, which resulted in the teammate running out of the house and missing for multiple hours throughout the night."
Ryan Merkley's Name Surfaces
With Marleau's statement out in the open, speculations have emerged about the identity of the teammate in question and the substance mentioned.
Ryan Merkley, a former Sharks defenseman, was specifically referenced later in Marleau's remarks:
"We also became aware of a young Sharks player, Ryan Merkley, was babysitting Kensington during at least one night in December of 2021.
Although we have heard from other hockey families that this was not just a one time event. I believe Mr. Merkley is 20 years old."
While Merkley's role as a babysitter may seem innocuous, its inclusion in the statement has left many wondering if he was the unnamed teammate from the previous account.
Whether Kane will complete this term remains uncertain, especially given the termination of his prior contract with the Sharks.
